Institute for Science in Medicine

James D. Herbert, PhD

Fellow

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

James D. Herbert, PhD, is a clinical psychologist, Professor of Psychology, and Director of the Anxiety Treatment and Research Program at Drexel University. He serves as Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He also focuses on the distinction between science and pseudoscience in psychology and related fields, and consequently in the promotion of evidence-based practice in mental health. Dr Herbert received his doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1989. He completed a clinical internship at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, then joined the faculty of the Medical College of Pennsylvania, where he directed the Behavior Therapy Clinic in the Department of Psychiatry.

Dr Herbert has an active research program on psychopathology with particular emphasis on evaluating the effectiveness and mechanisms of action underlying new acceptance-based models of behavior therapy, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, as well as an emerging research program on telemedicine. He has received numerous professional honors, including Drexel’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award. Professor Herbert’s work has been featured in a variety of popular media, including National Public Radio, Public Radio International, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, USA Today, ABC News 20/20,Newsweek, Der Spiegel, and various local media.

Mindfulness and Acceptance in Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Understanding and Applying the New Therapies, with Evan M Forman (Wiley, 2010). “What has been missing in the midst of partisan battles between orthodox CBT therapists and enthusiastic proponents of newer acceptance/mindfulness approaches is a reasoned, scientifically grounded discourse that would help researchers and clinicians alike sort through the various claims and counterclaims. This book … provides just such a sober and open-minded appraisal of a trend that has sometimes suffered both from too much hype from one side and too sweeping a rejection by the other. This volume encourages careful consideration of both positions and can advance evidence-based psychosocial therapy both conceptually and procedurally to the benefit of all.” — from the Foreword by Gerald C Davison, PhD, University of Southern California.

“Science and pseudoscience in the development of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: implications for clinical psychology” (with SO Lilienfeld, JM Lohr, RW Montgomery, WT O’Donohue, GM Rosen & DF Tolin), Clinical Psychology Review, 2000 Nov; 20(8):945-971. The enormous popularity recently achieved by Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) as a treatment for anxiety disorders appears to have greatly outstripped the evidence for its efficacy from controlled research studies. The disparity raises disturbing questions concerning EMDR’s aggressive commercial promotion and its rapid acceptance among practitioners. It is argued that EMDR provides an excellent vehicle for illustrating the differences between scientific and pseudoscientific therapeutic techniques. Such distinctions are of critical importance for clinical psychologists who intend to base their practice on the best available research. [DOI]